Teachers are often told they need to be “more assertive” in the classroom.

But what does that actually mean when behaviour starts to wobble, pressure rises, and everyone’s watching?

In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, you’ll learn what assertiveness really looks like in practice - and why it isn’t about being louder, stricter, or more dominant. Instead, it’s about clarity, calm and making better decisions before you even open your mouth.

You’ll explore why many behaviour confrontations escalate because adults are focused on “winning” the moment, and how redefining what success looks like can lead to calmer classrooms and fewer repeat issues over time.

The episode breaks assertiveness down into clear, practical strategies you can use straight away, including how to steady your body language, adjust your voice, give instructions that don’t invite debate, and choose the right moment to follow things up.

If you work in a classroom and want behaviour to improve without damaging relationships, escalating situations, or feeling emotionally drained, this episode will give you a simple, usable framework to take into your next lesson.

Important links:

Get your copy of the Classroom Management Scoresheet: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/classroom-management-scoresheet

Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources

Headteachers and deputies: Join our in-person event in Bradford
Where you'll learn practical ways to equip your team to handle SEMH challenges with confidence - so you can move from firefighting to a calm, consistent whole-school approach. Register now.

In many schools, the SENCO role has become the pressure point where everything ends up - SEND, SEMH, behaviour, parent concerns, paperwork and managing crises and pupil outbursts.

And when that happens, how SEND and SEMH is supported across the school starts to break down.

In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, you’ll learn why the SENCO job has become increasingly difficult even in caring, well-intentioned schools - and why this isn’t about individual failure.

You’ll see how a range of factors have unintentionally made the role of SENCO the single point of SEND failure in schools. And how this affects classroom practice, consistency of support and long-term sustainability for pupils with complex needs in school.

Most importantly, you’ll come away with a clearer way of thinking about the role - and how we need to redefine it - so it’s fit for purpose moving forwards. All without adding additional stress to hard-working SENCOs or burning them out.

If you care about inclusion and want SENCO support that’s sustainable, this episode is for you.

Important links:

Get our FREE SEND Behaviour Handbook: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/send-handbook

Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources

Headteachers and deputies: Join our in-person event in Bradford
Where you'll learn practical ways to equip your team to handle SEMH challenges with confidence - so you can move from firefighting to a calm, consistent whole-school approach. Register now.

On paper, your behaviour policy makes sense… so why doesn’t it work in every classroom - and for every pupil?

In this episode of School Behaviour Secrets, you’ll learn the 7 reasons why good behaviour policies often fail in good schools - even when leaders care, staff are committed and the intentions are right.

Drawing on nearly two decades of work with real schools, we unpack the hidden reasons behaviour policies stumble: why copying “best practice” from other settings can backfire, why consistency breaks down under pressure and what happens when policies are launched but never truly embedded into everyday practice.

If you’re a school leader or teacher trying to build a behaviour policy that staff actually use, trust, and stick to when things get difficult, this episode will help you stress-test your thinking and understand how to embed an effective policy in your school.

Important links:

Get our FREE Reducing Exclusions Checklist: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/exclusions-checklist.php

Download other FREE behaviour resources for use in school: https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/resources

Headteachers and deputies: Join our in-person event in Bradford
Where you'll learn practical ways to equip your team to handle SEMH challenges with confidence - so you can move from firefighting to a calm, consistent whole-school approach. Register now.